Sandman
by IcemanX
Summary: Nightmares become real, and the lines between reality and dream become blurred as the girls are hunted by a being with domain over both worlds... Last Chapter: 2.
1. Chapter 1

A playground. A cheery, happy place under normal circumstances. However, something told her this place was far from normal

"Hello? Anybody there?" Kaori called out. There was no answer; her voice drowned out by the darkness of night. No, not night, absence of color. Everywhere she looked, Kaori could only see black and white, and shades of gray.

"No one?" Just then, a reply. No, not a reply; the sound of a little girl's laughter. Innocent in all situations, but this. The sound sent chills down Kaori's spine as she searched for the source.

"Hello…?" she called, a little softer, a little hesitant. The answer came in the form of more giggling, this time closer, though Kaori had yet to move.

"Hello!" There! The first true response! Kaori turned, the source of the voice behind her. It was a small girl with long hair, sitting alone on a swing set. "Would you like to play?" she asked, in that wholly innocent tone that cause Kaori to sweat a little from fear.

A glance to the left and right proved she was alone with the girl; the black of night extended into the distance. Kaori turned back to find the swing set gone, along with the little girl. A cool breeze blew by, causing her to shiver slightly, heightening the tension.

"Where did you go?"

"I'm right here, silly!" said the little girl, from directly behind Kaori. The startling appearance of the girl gave Kaori quite a fright, which stirred the ethereal butterflies in her stomach from their slumber/

"What do you want?" Kaori demanded, clearly distressed.

"I wanna play!" replied the girl, as she took hold of Kaori's right hand. Kaori instantly pulled back, freeing her hand from the girl's surprisingly strong grip. It was not the touch that had caused her reaction, but the strange sensation that went along with it.

Kaori stared down at her hand in horror, at the place where two of her fingers used to be. All that was left of either was a stump, which then began to erode away, as if turning to sand.

It was at this point that Kaori first looked the girl in the eyes, only to find that she didn't have any. Nor did she have a nose, or a mouth to speak from. Her face, partially obscured by her unkempt hair, was a blank pallet, as if the artist simply lost interest.

With a terrified yelp, Kaori turned and ran. As the featureless landscape passed by around her, all she could think of was that this was a dream. A nightmare! It had to be! It should be…

Clutching her eroding hand, now no more than a stump, Kaori took a moment to check behind her, to see if the little girl had given chase. To her great relief, she had not.

Kaori slowed her pace as she looked back to where she was going. There, not fifteen feet ahead of her, was another figure, with its back to her. Kaori knew this person! The long, flowing hair; the slender, athletic form…

"S-Sakaki-san!" she cried, as she ran to embrace the taller girl. "I'm so glad!" Tears rolled down Kaori's cheeks as she felt she was finally safe from the terrors of the nightmare. However, the form she was clinging to did not react at all to her actions.

"Sakaki…san?" Kaori questioned, the fear quickly returning. The figure before her turned; rather, the head did, and only a half turn, just barely enough to reveal a featureless face, same as the child from before.

"N-no…" Kaori backed away, the tears streaming with renewed vigor, though nor fueled by fear rather than relief. Kaori turned and ran, as fast as she could, oblivious to the blank world around her. All sense was lost, but was it ever there to begin with?

Before Kaori was able to put any considerable distance between her and the featureless horror, her foot met resistance in the form of a wooden plank, the type used to box in sandboxes. Kaori fell face first into the sand with a muffled cry of surprise.

Kaori tried to stand again, and continue running, but found herself held back by some unseen force. She chanced a look down to her legs, and saw that the sand had formed hands, and was dragging her legs under, slowly. She also noticed that her right arm was almost entirely gone now, reduced to sand that was now mixing with that of the sandbox.

Too terrified for words, Kaori looked up again, only to find herself surrounded by the forms of all her friends. However, all bore the same featureless visage, and all were slowly closing in on her. Kaori barely even had time to scream…

A scream is a funny thing. When alone, no one will hear it. In space, no one is able to hear it, even if they are present. However, scream in a nightmare, and no one will ever know you were distressed…

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Alright, this is simply a little idea that was floating around in my head. A horror/thriller fic! it's whats been keeping me from writing the others, so I had to get it down in writing. And since I had it down, i figured I might as well share it. And note that this is more of a teaser than anything, though it is technnically chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, you guys seen Kaorin today

"Hey, you guys seen Kaorin today?" Chihiro asked, as she sat down at the lunch table. Also seated at the table were Chiyo, Sakaki, Kagura, Osaka, Tomo, and Yomi.

"No," was the collective response.

"That's strange… was she not feeling well yesterday? I mean, usually she's pretty good when it comes to attendance…" chihiro said.

"Well, we were at that museum for a field trip yesterday. She seemed alright when we left; not sick or anything." Yomi shrugged. "Maybe it's an overnight thing?"

"Still, she usually at least calls me. I'm a little worried actually." Chihiro sighed, prodding her soup with her spoon.

"Maybe her power's out, and she couldn't call you. That storm's pretty fierce out there," Chiyo reasoned, looking to the windows. Outside, it was almost pitch black, the darkness broken only by frequent flashes of lightning. A torrential downpour of rain assaulted the windows, powered by wind unnaturally fierce. Every so often, the ground would shake with the sound of thunder that accompanied the lightning.

'"I guess you're right. Maybe I am taking things a little too seriously. Though, I can't help but feel like something's not right."

"Look, how about after school, we all head over to her place and find out what's up?" Chihiro's face lit up.

"Really? You guys would do that, in a storm like _that_?"

"Sure; she's our friend too, remember?" Yomi looked to each of the others, and all agreed, including Chiyo, despite the look of fear on her face. They all planned to meet up in the front lobby once their classes were finished for the day.

--

"Hello? Ms. Aida?" Chihiro knocked on the door to Kaori's house, while the others waited patiently beside her. Luckily, the storm had abated enough that they were able to make the trip without getting completely drenched. The dark, menacing clouds were still ever present though.

Shuffling could be heard on the other side of the door, followed by a light being turned on. Suddenly, the door swung open, to reveal Kaori's mother, looking very stressed.

"Can I help you?" she asked, looking over the group. "Wait, you're Kaori's friends, aren't you?" The girls could see the color drain from her face. What little color there was to begin with, anyway.

"Yes, we were wondering if she's feeling alright?" Kaori's mother looked over the group one by one, meeting each hopeful gaze with a worried one of her own. She let out a long, defeated sigh, and opened the door wider.

"Come in out of the cold," she said, stepping aside to allow them entrance. All seven girls filed inside one by one, and shed their damp shoes and coats. Ms. Aida led them into the living room before disappearing into the kitchen. After a short while she returned, carrying a tray of warm tea, enough for everyone. Once they were all seated and served, she took a seat of her own.

"Kaori is in a coma," Ms. Aida said, after a long period of silence. The shock was obvious on everyone's face. "She went to bed last night after returning from that field trip; she was perfectly alright. But, she didn't wake up this morning. I tried just about everything… before calling an ambulance, fearing the worst…" Ms. Aida wiped her eyes with a tissue. No one thought to talk.

"I was about to drive back down to the hospital. I came back only to gather some of her medical records. I could take you all down, if you'd like to see her." Chihiro looked to each of the others. A simple nod from each told her they were all thinking the same thing.

"We would, Ms. Aida."

--

Since Kaori's mother owned a minivan, everyone was able to pile in and thus make one trip. It was also surprisingly comfortable.

The trip itself was quiet; no one felt the need to talk. That, combined with the strange lull in the storm created a somewhat eerie atmosphere. So much so that it prevented anyone from speaking up to break the silence, for fear that something bad might happen if they did.

The whole ride took no more than a half an hour, and afterwards, the girls headed into the hospital, led by Ms. Aida. After a brief conversation, the receptionist told them Kaori was no longer under examination, and that she was open to visitors, family only. Ms. Aida was able to persuade her to let the girls through, as they were as close as any family. A short while later, the girls found themselves standing in front of the door to Kaori's room.

Since no one could muster the resolve to go in first, Ms. Aida took the initiative and opened the door. Inside, the room was relatively plain. A nurse milled about, cleaning up and making the room nice and tidy. When she saw everyone at the door, she excused herself politely, and left.

Kaori was on the single bed in the room. She looked peaceful, as if she was in a deep sleep. She wore an oxygen mask strapped to her face, which was connected to a complex looking machine beside the bed. A number of smaller cords were attached to her arm, monitoring her vitals.

Silently, everyone gathered around the bed. Several more chairs were brought into the room and soon, everyone was seated around Kaori's bed, either in deep thought or nodding off, or both. It was getting late after all.

Kaori's mother, who still had things to take care of back at her home, left a few hours into the visit. By this time, most of the girls were asleep, and with a little persuasion, the Nurses allowed them to stay the night. Ms. Aida agreed to pick them all up in the morning, after giving each of their parents a call as well.

--

"Hello?" Chihiro's voice echoed through the empty hallways of the hospital. She couldn't remember waking up, let alone leaving the room. She also couldn't figure out why everything seemed to be devoid of color, as if she was in an old black and white film.

"Is anyone there?" Chihiro turned a corner, and finally spotted someone up ahead, further down the hallway. She jogged to catch up to the figure, who became increasingly familiar with each step. The size, the clothes, the hair…

"Kaorin!" she yelled, as she ran up to her friend. "But, you're supposed to be in a coma!"

Before Chihiro could react, Kaori spun on her heel and gripped Chihiro's throat with both hands. Chihiro gasped for air as she was lifted off the ground, the grip on her neck tightening. As she was lifted, Chihiro caught a glimpse of Kaori's face, or lack thereof.

Kaori, or rather, this being, had no face. It was simply a featureless mask, a blank slate. Chihiro struggled to free herself, and took hold of the thing's arms. As her vision began to darken, she summoned up all the strength she had, and wrenched the being's arms aside, away from her neck.

It worked, but not in the way Chihiro expected. She dropped to the ground in a cloud of sand, coughing. After a moment, she glanced up and saw that her assailant was still there, though now it was missing both forearms, and where there should have been blood, there was sand pouring out. Looking back down, Chihiro found the dismembered hands still on her neck.

Before Chihiro had a chance to scream, the hands tightened again. She made a desperate grab for them, and just as she got a grip on them and pulled, they too dissolved into sand. Without a moment's hesitation, Chihiro turned and ran, now too terrified to scream.

At each intersection, Chihiro was left with only one direction to choose; every other choice was blocked by a duplicate of the faceless Kaori. It was almost as if she was being herded somewhere.

Soon, Chihiro found herself ascending a steep stairwell, heading for the roof. She exploded out the door, and slammed it shut behind her. She slid a bar through the handles to keep it closed, before stopping to catch her breath. When she looked up, Chihiro found herself on a bare roof, the stairwell completely gone. Standing not ten feet away was a small girl, with long black hair that covered half her face. The other half was blank, just as Kaori's had been.

As the girl approached, Chihiro backed away, step for step. Then, all of a sudden, her feet met resistance in the form of the lip at the edge of the building, and she tumbled over the side. Chihiro closed her eyes, accepting the inevitable. However, she was quickly met with a soft landing. Opening her eyes again, she realized the school was gone, and that she was now in a desert, stretching as far as the eye could see. Before she could react, Chihiro began sinking into the sand, pulled under by some unseen force.

No matter how hard she struggled, Chihiro couldn't fight the pull. Slowly, she descended into the sand. Her final scream was drowned out by the sand that filled her mouth.

**Author's Notes:** Trying a new way to break the sections, rather than the break line things Fanfiction provides.

Anyway, there it is. Chapter 2. Since the school year is ending, don't expect much from me until it's done. Stupid essays and exams.

Read and review, Chapter 3 to come soon!


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